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10.09.2014

Tuscany, Italy

We just spent last week in Tuscany with my mom, step-dad, and grandparents. We had the trip planned months ago because the plan was to be there for my grandma's 75th birthday. I was a little nervous about the long flight being almost 6 months pregnant, but everything went really smoothly!

We got there in the evening and were welcomed with a wine/olive oil tasting. My mom found the perfect little villa for us to stay in with 3 bedrooms and 3 baths called Il Paluffo. We had an amazing view from every window. During WW2, the building that is now Il Paluffo was used as a shelter by Americans. We got a lot of history about where we stayed and surrounding towns.

We had dinner at some local places as well as some day trips. My favorite place we had dinner at was in Badia and my favorite day trip was to Siena. When we were in Siena, we went to the duomo and the piazza. It was absolutely beautiful!

One night, back at our villa, we did a pasta class. A "Tuscan Mama" taught us how to make spaghetti, penne, bow tie, tortellini, and ravioli pasta. After we made the pasta, she put together the sauces and served us dinner. This was a really cool experience and was a little easier than I thought it would be!

The last full day we had in Tuscany we chose to do a day trip to a local market. The market happens once a month (I think) and travels to different towns. This was the most authentic experience we had. I think we were the only Americans there. At one point we stopped for coffee and gelato and the little restaurant was packed with old Italian men, sitting around chatting. It looked like something out of the movies.